Lod ham mursy Mandy, yo mis it all
When you let dat supper pass yo at de ole Toun Hall.
Sah, they had one pison meal,
Dat good ole broun possom an sweet taters, sush yo mouf!
Would upsit yo pallet an’ tickel yo heels.
An biscuit, hum, hum! don’t talk,
I et so many I could hardly walk.
When yo’d bustum open an dah ginter to steam
An dat fresh country butter gist madum a dream.
And dey had dem urly June peas dat was picked while da’s in blossom;
But wait tell I tolger bout dat gravy dey had roun dat possom.
It was gist a real medium lite broun,
Hum youm, youm! when dey rised de lid yo could smill it all ober toun.
An dat homade cake stood five layers hi,
Mursy! an dat egg-custard, well, ’twould almost make ye cry.
Den dey passed de water mellin an ice kream on de side,
An’ when you backed away from dat table yo sho was satisfied.
But you oder seen um a pitin on airs,
Ole Ginn Jackson and Tildia Blairs,
When dey’s asks tu et dey gaped like dey waned to fuse,
Sain no we thank yo, we don’t carh fo, but to dat table dey gin to oose.
Well sure yo woder almose bussed yo ribs
When de blessen was said by ole Joe Tibs,
Gist fo he started he ginner a real deep sie.
And eber body bow dey heads, but on dem biscuits he kept one eye,
Den he started, Good Lod! we turn thanks fo what bout to cieve,
But I aint so buzy wid dis prawh dat I can’t see dat sister slipen biscuits up her sleeve. Amen.
WHAT WE OUGHT TO KNOW
God help a people that really has no flag,
For on their present and future seems to heavily swag,
’Tis that awful burden of mystery,
And oh! how painful that their heroism’s ne’er mentioned in history.
Then go my brave people and make one of your own,
It will show our mighty love and that we’re learning to stand alone.
For years and years you’ve given your sons to this land of the noble and free,
But maybe it’ll go down in this last war, though others we’ve failed to see,
Now we have men among us, men of brain and might,
Don’t dream of difficulty a few years back, for then all newspapers were white.
Now why not send our reporters on to the battlefield
And let them follow our comrades so their great deeds cannot be shield,
And when the shots and shells are flying
Into the hearts of our loved ones dying
Then God helps a people that try to help themselves
That has the right love for each other laid on memory’s golden shelves.
Just think of our great heroes that died that we may live,
And think what it’s stealing from our children because history fails to give.
I’ve even spoke of Honorable Douglass to boys of my race,
Why they would ask me who was Douglass and amazingly look into my face,
Oh! this would break my heart to think of that noble man,
And there are others that should be in all history of the land.
SIE RANKENS AND HIS WIFE LIZZ
(Satisfied)
Git outer heah an goter wok,
Uv all men’s yo lobes tu shirk.
Don dan woken fo a dollah a dah,
Don hard wok an’ git good pah.
Sie, what’s de use larg or small,
Yo de kinder umman gonner spend it all.
Lizz, bleav me man, yo needs som pride.
Sie, hum, yo shud worrah ef um satisfied.
Lizz, sumer des dahs I’ll lost my mind,
Den you’ll leff dis hos liker a bird a flyen,
Cus I’ll be a devil an dat untied,
I’ll sees how much den you am satisfied.
Lizz, mussey me, dis world am ruff,
An’ marrahed life I goter nuff.
To don rite I really tried,
Den gwon an leah me, um satisfied.
Lizz, I’ll nuckel to yo nebber no mo,
Cus I kin clean cars fo de ole Big Fo,
I told um I’s coming, dey thinks I’s lied,
Cus de wah yo acten man, I ain’t satisfied.
Sie, somer des dahs I’ll slep a neaf de cool
An’ yo’ll hab tu hich, drove, an’ cur dem mules
Holin woe haw gee, come heah clide,
I gus den honey yo’ll be satisfied.
Lizz, tain’t no use in talkin to me,
I’s made up my mind to let yo be.
Whever yo sleep neaf de cool wom or hot
I’ll took dis brom an broke yo not.
Sie, den do it umman I aniter goner hide,
Any ole thing soes yo satisfied.
Lizz, dah yo am a giten all good
Den com na kiss me, hum, I wish I wood
Cus yo kinder mens I’s laid aside.
Sie, ef dey all no yo like me, dey woun be satisfied.
LIEUTENANT RUFF
“Company Attion,” dats it snap dem heals rite agether
And don’t be grumblen bout de rainy wedder,
Fo dahs a few things I’s boun to mention.
Yo pock out dat chest,
Yo lazy thing, yo am like de rest.
Gim me dem heads and eyes tu de front
An’ don’t let me heah yo breave or grunt.
Now in dis company dahs a singen aroun
Dat some yo soldiers am a staen in town,
Yo no dat am a breaken uv de rules,
And awful bad it sounds.
But let me ketch de ole ring leader
Wid him I’ll broke de guard hous don.
“At Ease!” quit dat trimblen at de neas,
In de monen I’s goner call de roll
An ebber liben body better hit de stroll.
Ef dahs anybody daun anser tu dey name
Well, de wah I’ll punshum, hit’ll be a shame.
Sur Lieutenant! mah I speak,
No you studers, an’ it’ll tuck yo a week.
Now stop dat rolen dem eyes dah,
Yo am de fello dey calls jack de bah.
Does yo no yo am afoolen wid de hinges uv def
An’ what yo am athinken yo am badly lef.
Ress, a man kin talk tell he nely chokes,
An’ Ress don’t mean fo you tu smoke.
Drap dat cigarete,
I bet I’ll blo dis company up yet,
Now I want spoke bout de han solute,
An’ you better bring me a press on all dem suits.
In dis company dahs a loss uv pep
An’ in aroun’ lebben werf yo am boun to crep.
“Prade Ress!”
Keep dat line neatly dressed,
Looker a dah how yo’s holen dat gun,
Gist like a man giten redy tu run.
“Sholder Arms!”
As yo wus, yo goter alarmed.
Now what’s de madder widd dis coman?
Change dat gun in de udder han
In all my forty years I seen
Yo bunch uv mens am mity green.
Wake up now an sodger rite,
Ef yo don’t da’ll be one awfull fite.
Yo’ll taste de essnes uv my fist.
“Company Attention!”
Dah am de dinner bell yo am dismist.
THE PARSON’S RESOLUTION
Parson Johnson at his church on a New Year’s Eve
Made a resolution he had up his sleeve,
He knew the congregation had some inside information,
But from where cometh he never knew,
So the bells begin to ring and the whistles begin to blow
Everybody kneeled in prayer, but Parson walked the flo.